"'Forever Strong"

"The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." (Psalms 68:17) I have got to wonder what it is that makes some of us give up. Do we buy in on the lie? or do we look to much on our own understanding? I for one don't believe that we easily will buy in on the lie, but it's not hard to do if you are living for yourself. That's the key! I truly believe that living for yourself is the thing that ruins every ministry, breaks up families, and destroys strong Christians from finishing well. If you think about it, all three of those temptations that Jesus was tempted with were about power; in one way or another, each one was either to demonstrate power, prove power, or gain power. Typically that is what happens when we start living for ourselves, we begin by living within our own power; or at least we think that we are in our own minds. In each of the responses that Jesus gave, He answered with proof that God is the power: We should not tempt Him, we should live by His word, and we should only worship Him! One thing that we must remember, is that this life is temporary. It is all just for a moment, every little thing about it is here today and gone tomorrow. Your looks, your health, your wealth; it's all for today, but none of it is guaranteed for tomorrow! You would think that knowing that would make us live more humble, but James is right, "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy." (James 4:5) Always wanting more is the general idea. But, if you really want to put something to good use, then let your desire be towards God! You want more power, then ask God for more of His Spirit; but first we must die to ourselves! James also said, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your own lusts." (James 4:3) It all comes down to knowing who it is that always has the power, because it is surely not any of us! We are weak, but He is strong! The sooner we can press that reality into our minds, the sooner we can begin to see some victories over sin, and the sooner we can start living for God. And just so you know, the "twenty thousand" given as a number is not twenty thousand; just saying... "Watch, for the day of the LORD is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city. Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He has fought in times past. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through the valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all His holy ones with Him." (Zechariah 14:1-5) NLT